“It seems amazing you have not been on pole here?” it is suggested to him.
Interrupting, the bemused Hamilton says: “More…” Then, after a few seconds,
the 29-year-old realises: “Actually, I haven’t been on pole. That’s true.
Jeez, I didn’t even think of that. Damn.
“In 2009 I had the chance to be on pole but I crashed. I had to be on such a
limit that day, it was a risk, a bit too much of a risk. Last year I did but
I wasn’t quick enough. This year I know I’ve got the car, and I don’t have
an excuse.”
Arriving off the back of four straight victories, and leading the
championship, Hamilton is in the best place for years to put right such an
obvious wrong. Prost recognises that Monaco can serve as a barometer of
Formula One greatness, so it will irk Hamilton that he has not enjoyed
greater fortune here, particularly given Senna’s association with the place.
And while Hamilton shared the Brazilian’s enthusiasm for Monaco, he has never
spoken of racing in quite the same terms, so different are the two eras and
the two characters. “That was a unique experience for him,” Hamilton
explains. “Monaco is just incredible to drive and any driver will tell you
that’s the race they want to win. It’s an honour to fight for your place
amongst them and a real test of your skills behind the wheel. It’s just you,
rubber, and barriers. It’s the most hardcore rollercoaster you can really
imagine.”
He adds: “It’s scary, when you start that one single lap, you want to get
everything from the braking zone – you don’t want to know you could have
braked five metres later. Having the confidence to attack that first corner,
the feeling you have when you go into turn one, not knowing if you’re going
to make it – it’s amazing.”
Twenty years on from Senna’s death, and given the parallels of this year with
1988 – turbo engines are back, one team are utterly dominant – it would be
particularly poignant for Hamilton to take pole and the victory Senna threw
away at Portier 26 years ago. “A lot of the way I drive today is inspired by
the way I saw him drive,” Hamilton said. “People say I have an aggressive
style and sometimes I don’t think that is all just me.”
On an altogether different subject, the 2008 champion spoke on Wednesday of
how “powerless” he felt on a visit to see Haiti’s struggling children after
the last race in Barcelona.
“I feel like I’m trying to make a difference. It’s all well and good being a
Formula One driver, travelling the world, and being happy, but if you’re not
contributing to society and the world then what’s the point in being here?”
The outcome this weekend is very much in his hands. Sebastian Vettel has
qualified on pole here, and will be doing his best to stop Hamilton in his
100th race for Red Bull. But even the German, who has enjoyed at least two
comfortable title triumphs, believes Mercedes’
dominance is unprecedented.
“We have never been in that situation,” the 26-year-old said. To assist his
chances of returning to the front it will be crucial for his team to keep
hold of their much-coveted designer Adrian Newey, who has been linked with a
move to Ferrari. But the four-time champion seemed unfazed by the
speculation.
“We like him in our team so yes [I would like him to stay],” the German said.
“It’s a story in the end. How much truth there is in it, we may find out, we
may not.”
For Hamilton meanwhile, all the pieces are in place. He just needs the perfect
lap.